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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28008738">In the Middle</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/immortalje/pseuds/immortalje'>immortalje</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Prompt Challenges [55]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Sherlock (TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>M/M, Sibling Rivalry</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2013-08-18</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2013-08-18</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-10 20:22:22</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,370</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28008738</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/immortalje/pseuds/immortalje</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Things go crazy when Sherlock and Mycroft try to get John's attention.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Mycroft Holmes/John Watson, Sherlock Holmes/John Watson</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Prompt Challenges [55]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/2047814</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>5</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>In the Middle</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>This was written for the prompt "Sibling rivalry" on <a href="http://love-sacrificed.livejournal.com/76150.html">my card</a> for round 3 @ <a href="https://love-bingo.livejournal.com/">love_bingo</a>.</p><p>This is the last for tonight (and I really need to check if it's the last one I've got finished or not) and I'm not sure about the ending. With that I meant if I should get rid of that last scene or not. A part of me feels like it's a nice conclusion and adding a nice circle of events and another feels as if it's just hanging there. Oh well...</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The first clue that John had that something was terribly wrong was when Sherlock stood at the foot of his bed, a tray with his favoured breakfast foods in hand.</p><p>Things only got worse from then on. Mycroft kept sending him strange texts asking him if he was well. The flat was mysteriously tidier than it had ever been and flowers were delivered to him without a note or sender. Sherlock almost shocked him with his offer to go grocery shopping and actually doing as he said.</p><p>While both Holmes acted beyond strange, they refused to communicate in any way. Mentioning one to the other was bound to get them to scowl and mutter angrily.</p><p>Mrs Hudson was equally confused. Although she had offhandedly remarked that it almost seemed as if they were fighting over him. Hah! Sherlock and Mycroft Holmes fighting over him of all people!</p><p>What a laughable thought.</p><p>However, the longer they acted strange, the more he started to worry that she was actually right about both brothers making a contest out of winning his affections. If that was truly the case – well he wasn’t a price to be won.</p><p>Especially since he doubted that they would keep the act up should this madness be over.</p><p>Until then he could always escape for a night out with Lestrade. Watching rugby with him on the telly in some bar certainly bet the ideas Sherlock and Mycroft had to win him over.</p><p>What hadn’t been welcome was Mycroft lying in his bed, waiting for his arrival, dressed with nothing, but a most terrifying piece of underwear. Those weren’t meant to be worn by men.</p><p>The whole ordeal went on for an entire month. After that Sherlock retreated to his normal self (although he kept on buying groceries without being prompted to do so). Mycroft meanwhile seemed to step up.</p><p>There were near daily gifts of flowers, chocolates and other things that he had bought as gifts while dating a woman. Never would he have considered buying those for another guy. Then again, neither had he considered dating another guy. That is to say, he had considered dating Sherlock early on before the others had caught on that there truly wasn’t anything going on between them. However, that had been purely because everybody was so damn certain about them dating.</p><p>While Mycroft started to become oppressive with his courting, Sherlock somehow seemed to be a mix between his usual self and someone showing his interest in subtle ways. If he thought that Sherlock was capable of thinking of that, he might have been tempted to call it a change of tactics.</p><p>John was startled out of his thoughts as he opened the front door and heard clear signs of a brawl coming from upstairs. Mrs Hudson was hovering close to the stairs, fretfully looking up.</p><p>What is going on?”</p><p>“It’s Sherlock and his brother. Oh, how terrible!”</p><p>“What!? They’re actually physically fighting with each other?”</p><p>“Mycroft took affront to Sherlock throwing the chocolates out that he sent you last week.”</p><p>“I told – they’re really trying to woo me and made a freaking contest about it?”</p><p>“Well, Sherlock started and apparently his brother decided that if Sherlock wanted you, so did he.”</p><p>“How do you know that?”</p><p>“Sherlock told me two weeks ago. He said that this was getting out of control and most certainly wasn’t working and making you less inclined to choose either of them. He asked me for advice and I told him to tone it down and not to do anything he’d stop doing once you agreed to date him. I think he genuinely cares for you in that way, but wanted to see if you could live with him first. Mind you, this is Sherlock we’re talking about.”</p><p>“Tell me, do you think that this is more than just a contest for Sherlock? I’m not going to be some damn price in their petty squabbles. They’re acting like little children fighting over a toy or their mother’s affection.”</p><p>“I think it is for Sherlock. More than a fight to win the price that is, but you need to be sure about it.”</p><p>“Well, it’s never going to be Mycroft. That’s for sure,” John said. Apparently he had been loud enough to be heard or maybe there had been a calm moment in their fight as he could hear a sudden thump of something falling to the ground before silence settled down.</p><p>Not wanting to see what kind of damage they had wrought – to the living room and themselves – John said, “Do you still have some of that lovely stew? I haven’t had any dinner yet.”</p><p>“Certainly. You just follow me. I also could use some help with my telly again.”</p><p>While they ate and watched telly they could hear some noises from upstairs, but it didn’t appear as if another fight had started.</p><p>When John finally dared to venture upstairs, he found the flat to be spotless. The noises they had heard must have been Sherlock tidying up. There was a box from that Chinese place that gave Sherlock free food with the contents half eaten.</p><p>Then Sherlock came in, one of his eyes had the unmistakably look of soon turning all kinds of colours. Sherlock to his credit neither mentioned the fight nor the cause nor tried to claim a price in any way. No, he simply said, “Do we have any ibuprofen left? I couldn’t find any in the bathroom.”</p><p>“No. I took the last one yesterday and haven’t had time yet to stop by the drugstore yet.”</p><p>Sherlock frowned, but didn’t comment further. Instead he cleaned up his dinner with the leftovers going to the fridge.</p><p>“I ordered a new fridge. I figured that you might appreciate one of your own that hasn’t ever seen one of my experiments,” Sherlock said as he started washing up.</p><p>It was entirely too surreal. Absently, he said, “Thanks. I appreciate this.”</p><p>“Mrs Hudson also thought it’d be a good idea. Especially since I shot that wall and haven’t yet paid for it. She’s taking it as down payment for that and future repairs.”</p><p>John snorted. That certainly was a good idea as well. Figuring that nothing else would happen, he said, “Good night then.</p><p>It was beyond anti-climatic.</p><p>He heard a faint good night from Sherlock as he went upstairs.</p><p>~***~</p><p>The following morning, Sherlock woke him once more with breakfast in bed and John wondered if this signalled the start of all this madness again.</p><p>However, Sherlock merely said, “I know that you probably aren’t interested in me like that and that it was terribly rude of me to not even tell you what was going on. I apologise for that. Mrs Hudson suggested that I should just tell you what I want – plainly – and see what you wish to do about it. I had intended to do so yesterday when you returned. However, I figured that it might not have been the best time. This is an apology for my less than stellar behaviour in trying to outdo my brother.”</p><p>“Thanks. Mrs Hudson did tell me that you asked her for advice and that she believed that this wasn’t just a game to you. Just – why did you participate in this madness instead of telling me plainly?”</p><p>“This has happened before. I showed interest in someone and Mycroft started courting her as well. She had been fully aware of it and eventually chose Mycroft. Needless to say, that it didn’t last for long beyond that and I was left with…”</p><p>“Ah. It did seem like petty sibling rivalry. Although, I had believed both of you to be older than that. I was relieved when you stopped going insane with your attempts. As for us – I did consider it initially, but forgot all about it eventually when the others stopped mentioning it. Before that it was probably because I thought there had to be something the others were seeing. I will think about it again. Should it ever seem like I’m a price, it’ll be over. Just so we’re clear. I’m not some price to be had.”</p><p>Sherlock smiled and said, “I wouldn’t dream of it.”</p>
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